FORUM: Underdog lists agenda, achievements

State Sen. Barbara Buono has decided to do what several other higher-profile Democrats in New Jersey chose not to do: Run against Gov. Chris Christie for governor in November. Buono, one of the most liberal Democrats in the state Legislature, officially announced her candidacy earlier this month. While she should have clear sailing in the June Democratic primary, she faces an uphill climb against the popular, well-funded incumbent. She talks about her agenda and her prospects below:

Q: What do you consider your greatest legislative achievements?

A. I have a long history of fighting for New Jersey's working and middle-class families and I am proud of what I have achieved in the Legislature. While I served as chair of the Senate Budget committee, I was able to cut $4.5 billion from the state budget while increasing funding for schools and healthcare. This means that the majority of the population was able to pay less for these staples of a modern society and provide their children with opportunities to succeed beyond their parents' expectations.

I take a tremendous amount of pride in the work I did on the School Funding Reform Act, which finally began to distribute state resources more equitably and ensure that all children have access to a thorough and efficient education, regardless of where they live. If this formula was properly funded, it would have helped to control property taxes, given that state support for public education and property taxes are inextricably linked.

New Jersey's working families struggle every day to balance the competing demands and pressures of their jobs and their responsibilities to their families. Many New Jersey workers, who have little, if any, paid family leave, face painful choices between putting food on the table or caring for a sick loved one or new baby. That's why I made the right choice for working families: As a prime Senate sponsor, I took decisive action by passing an historic family leave insurance law.

Q: A recent Quinnipiac poll had you trailing Gov. Christie by 41 points. How do you expect to make that up?

A: The only poll that matters is on Nov. 5, and right now I am focused on talking to people across the state about my vision for the future. For the last three years, New Jerseyans have felt the effect of policies that have led our state to the bottom of the barrel in economic growth, an unemployment rate near 10 percent, the highest property taxes in the nation, soaring college tuitions, and have made it harder for women to get access to health care. The people of New Jersey are going to look at the failed record of Gov. Christie and realize that economics and a right-wing social agenda are the wrong mix for New Jersey.

Q: What do you consider your biggest selling points?

A: As the first woman to chair the Senate Budget Committee, I have the skill set to hit the ground running and tackle our state's serious economic issues. In that role and as Senate Majority Leader, I developed a deep understanding of what it takes to get New Jersey out of our current economic morass and to responsibly budget taxpayer dollars.

I understand the obstacles facing the working and middle class of New Jersey because I have experienced them myself.

My father was an immigrant from Italy, a butcher who worked long hours to support his family and give his kids the chance for a better life. My mother was a substitute teacher who worked to help make ends meet. Like so many New Jerseyans, I didn't grow up with much. But that didn't stop me from dreaming about the future.

I worked my way through Montclair State and Rutgers Law School along with grants and loans that allowed me to get an education. I want to make sure that everyone in New Jersey has the same opportunities I had when growing up. Because if you work hard to succeed, you should be able to afford to send your kids to college so they can compete in the global economy. So the fact that my beliefs are rooted in my life provides me with a window to understand what it takes to ensure that working and middle- class families have an opportunity to get ahead.

Q: Can you beat Christie without going negative?

A. The voters of New Jersey are smart and will decide this campaign on the issues. And the issues that are most important to them are jobs and taxes. I will contrast my vision to help New Jersey's working and middle class with Christie's policies because that is part of having a healthy discussion. I think it is important to point out that I have fundamental differences with him on a multitude of issues. It's important that the voters understand what those are.

He has turned down tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for women's health and wants to limit the ability of women to make their own health care decisions. I will fully fund those clinics that provide health care for working class women and believe women should be in control of their health care choices. He refuses to lead by pressuring Congress to enact common-sense gun safety laws. He has vetoed the minimum wage legislation sent to him by the Legislature. I believe that hard work should pay a salary that can support a family. He vetoed marriage equality, the civil rights issue of our time. In the end, I believe that the voters of New Jersey will vote to support my platform on the issues because my proposals are more in line with who we are as a state.

And while it may be painful and inconvenient for Christie to hear, there is no escaping the fact that New Jersey has the fourth-worst unemployment in the country, the second-highest foreclosure rate and the highest property taxes in the nation. It suffered a credit downgrade and lost thousands of jobs by canceling the ARC tunnel project and pulling out of a multi-state pact to help create green jobs. These statistics indicate a failure of leadership during the last three years and thus need to be discussed as part of an open debate.

Q: An FDU PublicMind poll in December found that 79 percent of those surveyed had never heard of you. On the bright side, that means there are few preconceptions about you. What are the one or two most important things you want voters to learn about you in the days leading up to the election?

A: I think the most important thing people should know is that the issues confronting our state aren't abstract to me; they're personal. My life experience informs my beliefs and that is why I understand the struggles New Jerseyans face today.

I was able to put myself through college and law school with a patchwork quilt of grants, loans and jobs. Upon graduating college, unable to find a job and then losing what little belongings I had to a fire, the generosity of my aunt and grandmother prevented me from keeping my appointment with the welfare office. Life should involve hard work and dedication. But I do believe that government has a role to ensure that those who have played by the rules, who've worked hard, but who encounter hardship should have a government that gives them the means to get back up.

I will work to build an economy that creates good-paying jobs so New Jersey can be competitive in the global economy. This means putting New Jerseyans to work repairing our roads and bridges, providing job training that matches the unemployed with local employers and investing in clean-energy technologies to build an economy that will grow stronger for decades to come.

Finally, I want New Jerseyans to know that I am committed to equality and opportunity -whether it's the right of women to make choices about their health care, the rights of gay couples to share in marriage equality, our children having the opportunity to receive higher education without going broke. I will be offering a vision founded on the principle that the circumstances of your birth should not dictate the outcome of your life.

Q: What would you do to jump-start New Jersey's economy and help create more jobs? How much influence do you think a governor can have on a state's economy?

A: The governor can have an enormous influence on creating jobs. You just need to look at the failed fiscal policies of the last three years to see the effect our state's chief executive can have. A pivotal error was made with this governor's decision to halt building of the ARC tunnel. Studies showed that the project would have brought thousands of jobs to the region. Yet after $600 million had been spent, Christie canceled the project.

We must transform New Jersey's workforce to compete in a more global economy. Something I have fought for in the past, and I think is vital to our future, is to create research partnerships between colleges and the emerging markets to help students find good-paying jobs right here in New Jersey. Not only does this reduce our unemployment rates, but it ensures our brightest decide to raise their families here.

In addition, I will put New Jerseyans back to work repairing our crumbling roads and bridges. We will offer job training to those who are unemployed or underemployed, and in danger of seeing their current skills fall short of what the new economy demands.

Finally, studies have shown that expanding Medicaid would have a tremendous effect on increasing employment in our poorest areas.

Q: You fell out of favor with some Democrats by opposing state Sen. Stephen Sweeney's pension and benefits reforms. Why were you against the reforms? Would you attempt to roll any of them back?

A: Five years ago, I saw that our state pension system was at risk of collapsing under the weight of its debt and understood that the only way to save it was to propose common sense reforms. That's why I became an early proponent of returning fiscal stability to our public employee pension system and worked across party lines to do so.

However, the legislation I opposed in 2011 included a suspension of union workers' ability to collectively bargain over health care. As I said at the time, the day we undermine the right to collective bargain is the day we begin to erode our identity as a nation. I firmly believe that. So I drew the line when it comes to legislating restrictions for health benefits. Workers have had that right for generations and it helped build our state's middle class.

Q: Money matters in political campaigns. How much do you hope to raise, and how close do you believe you have to come to matching Christie's war chest to be successful in November?

A: We will have the resources to compete and win in November. As you may recall, this governor was outspent 2 to 1 in 2009. I am running a grassroots campaign that will empower voters to be a part of the change they want to see in Trenton. In addition, New Jersey has a public matching funds program that we will be taking advantage of.

I've been a strong, independent voice for the working families of New Jersey my whole career, and I will be their advocate in the State House. My message will lay out a clear choice between the failed economic policies of this governor and a progressive path forward that will chart a new course for New Jersey's economy.

Q: Who will be managing your campaign, and who will your chief advisers be?

A. My campaign manager is Jonathan Ducote. I am taking advice from an array of advisers who have worked at the highest levels of politics both in New Jersey and at the national level. However, the most important advisers are the New Jerseyans I talk to every day who let me know the issues that are most important to them.

Q: Do you support a permanent funding source for open space, Green Acres and historic preservation? If so, what is your preferred way of funding it?

A. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect and preserve New Jersey's environmental resources. I am therefore committed to the state's Open Space program, and in the identification of an ongoing funding source. When our open spaces fall victim to development, they are gone forever. We cannot allow that to happen. That said, the Legislature is currently in the process of conducting hearings and having ongoing discussions with the stakeholders evaluating what the best alternative is that will serve the dual purposes of preservation of our precious resources and advancing fiscal responsibility.

Q: What changes, if any, would you like to make to the school funding formula?

A: An educated and skilled workforce prepared to compete in the global economy is essential to rebuilding New Jersey's economy. I would fund school districts according to this legislation, which I authored, the "School Funding Reform Act of 2008" (SFRA). If adhered to, this funding formula is premised on meeting individual children's needs regardless of where they reside. It is vital that any potential changes to this legislation be data driven and supported by research as the original SFRA was.

Q: The interest arbitration cap on raises for police and firefighters, enacted to help towns stay under the property tax cap, expires in 2014. Would you support extending it?

A: The original legislation included a sunset provision to provide the Legislature an opportunity to evaluate the impact of the law on reducing the property tax burden. This included the creation of a task force to study its effectiveness. As we get closer to the law's expiration, I will closely examine the findings of the task force and work with the Legislature to determine what action needs to be taken.

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FORUM: Underdog lists agenda, achievements

State Sen. Barbara Buono has decided to do what several other higher-profile Democrats in New Jersey chose not to do: Run against Gov. Chris Christie for governor in November. Buono, one of the most